Qoyllur Rit'i
Last night Ceci told me a story about bears carrying ice to the top of mountains. I wondered if we were all feeling the effects of Lindsay's special home-made Pisco Sours, the 'spirit drink of the Andes', but no, bears really do carry ice to the mountain tops!Qoyllur, quechua for Snowstar or Shining Snow, is the annual sacred ritual ceremony that takes place at Ausungate (outside of Cusco for 3 days in the month of Mayo) to worship Apus, the spirit of the mountains, and the fertility of the land.
Over 10,000 pilgrims climb to the snowline at the foot of the mount of Ausangate (4700m), accompanied by all sorts of dancers in full costume (chauchos, qollas, pabluchas or ukukus) portraying various mythical characters. A pilgrim is suppose to make the pilgrimage three years consecutively. The 'Uquqo' or bears, are the guardians of the Lord and the Apu mountain spirits, and stone cairns built along the way by pilgrims to atone for their sins. The Uquqo maintain order during religious ceremonies and give out flagellation to the passing pilgrims.
At dawn a small group of Uquqos set out for another mountaintop at 6,362m in search of the Snowstar which is reputedly buried within the mountain. On their way back down to their communities, they haul massive blocks of ice on their backs for the symbolic irrigation of their lands with holy water from the Ausangate.
posted by Lou @ 11:43 AM
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